Gerrard Turned Down United & Chelsea Moves

Steven Gerrard claims he has turned down the advances of Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid during his career.

Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson claimed last week that the Reds skipper has to leave Anfield if he wants to win the Premier League title – the only major honor the midfielder is yet to win.

However, Gerrard has dismissed these claims insisting he will always be committed to Liverpool, even if it means he misses out on winning a Premier League title, and revealed he has turned down both Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho in the past.

Mourinho is believed to have come closest to luring Gerrard away from Liverpool in 2004 and 2005 during his time at Chelsea, and the 32-year-old also claims the Portuguese coach tried his luck when he was announced as Real Madrid boss.

Ferguson is also a known admirer of Gerrard’s and was linked with a move for the Reds midfielder when he was searching for a replacement for Roy Keane back in 2004. At the time, Fergie said:

‘If you were looking for the player you would replace Keane with, it would be Gerrard,’ he said.

‘He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. More than Vieira. To me, Gerrard is Keane. Anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team.’

However, Gerrard insists he could never play for United’s greatest rivals. When asked about speculation over his future, the Reds skipper told the Daily Mail:

“That sort of thing has been going on for the last 10 years. People only really heard about it with Mourinho and Chelsea in 2004 and 2005. But it has happened a few times.

“It was flattering back then because the two best managers around wanted me to play in their teams.

“Gary Neville said he (Ferguson) wanted me. But you understand that playing for Manchester United would have been impossible. I never would have wanted to play for Manchester United. They are a fantastic club but that rivalry is there, and it’s why Gary could not have played for us either.

“Don’t get me wrong. It was flattering that, after everything he has done in the game, Sir Alex Fergusonwanted me to play in his team. But that was an impossible situation.

“The Mourinho thing was different, of course. This club weren’t really challenging at the time, so there was something to think about. But I ended up saying no and a year later I said no again.

“But he came back when he arrived at Real Madrid two years ago. I look at some players who get interest from clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona and they cause absolute wars to get out and get there. But that has never been me and, again, it just wasn’t going to happen. I was happy here. I was settled. I thought all that had gone really.”

Do you think Gerrard should have left Liverpool to win the league? Or is it good to see some commitment from a player? Get involved in the comments section.

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